Firefly
by BlueMilagro
Summary: A scared mutant finds her place at Xavier's school, befriending a shy, blueskinned mutant. But when her new friend is kidnapped, it is up to her to figure out what happened and where he is, before it's too late! NichtcrawlerxOC. Check out part two!
1. No Smoking

"…Let me be the only one  
to keep you from the cold  
Now the floor of heaven's lain  
with stars of brightest gold  
They shine for you, they shine for you  
They burn for all to see  
Come into these arms again  
and set this spirit free."

-- from the song "Love Song for a Vampire" (from "Bram Stoker's DRACULA") by Annie Lennox

When I was nine years old I had a dream, one unlike any other I'd ever had, or have since had. I dreamt I was sitting at home, reading, when I suddenly got thirsty and wanted to get the glass of water I had left on the kitchen table, which was a good ten, fifteen feet away. I looked up at it and envisioned holding the glass in my hand, and before my very eyes it rose up off the table and came to me. I held out my hand. The glass came to my open hand and I didn't spill a drop.

There was more. I suddenly remember having to go meet someone. Someone new, someone different from any other person I'd ever met, someone I loved. Stepping outside I broke into a jog, and when I leapt into the air, I didn't come down, but flew over the trees like… like Peter Pan or something. To my disbelief, I was flying! I had never seen houses from this angle before- they were just rooftops. Up ahead I spotted an old, beautiful building in the midst of a small forest. There was a basketball court in front, and as I approached, I could see someone standing there, waiting. Something in my gut told me that's him- that's the person you're, ahem, flying to see. Something was different about him. He was built almost like any other man you'd meet on the street, but his hands and feet were slightly different. On each hand he had three fingers; his ears and teeth were pointed, his eyes were yellow and he had a tail. But the one thing that stood out the most about him was that he had dark blue skin! I could see him smile when he saw me, and he started to wave.

"Hey!" The man cried. I noticed he had a German accent. "Hey, Erin! Welcome home!" We were both smiling as I landed, and I ran to him, throwing my arms around him in a hug.

"I'm glad to be back," I replied happily.

That's when I wake up. It seemed I had the dream most often when things weren't going right for me, like when something made me mad. It was almost as if the dream was coming as a way to make me feel better. And it did. I always felt very safe throughout the dream, especially when I was at that place and with the blue-skinned stranger. It brought me much comfort when I would have a rough day.

That was half my lifetime ago. I am eighteen years old now, and I have been on the run since the age of thirteen when I found my brother Michael and his friends smoking behind the shed in the backyard of our small house in Raleigh, North Carolina. It flipped me out so bad because I looked up to Michael; he was my big brother… that and I was allergic to the smoke, but I wasn't worried about that when I saw him. I wanted so badly to just take the cigarette away from him and destroy it that, before I could do anything other than think it, the cigarette came from Michael's hand and floated towards me. I was stunned at what was happening, everything was spinning. I grabbed the floating cigarette and ran, just after stomping it out in the grass. I ran to my room, slammed the door, and leaned against it, panting. From inside my room I could hear the frantic voices of my brother and his friends as they tried to figure out how a cigarette could possibly float through the air like it did. Could it have really been me? Could I have actually made that…. darn cigarette float through the air like it had, and right to me? On my bed I saw my Irish dance shoes. _Okay,_ I thought to myself as I raised my hand. _The shoes are in my hand._ To my astonishment I watched as the soft-toe shoes rose from the bed, floated towards me and stopped, right above my hand. I reached up and took them.

_Oh, my God._

What was I going to do? I had to get out of there. What would my parents think when Michael told them what had happened? Something was the matter with me and I didn't belong with my family anymore. I suddenly realized that right then and there. Giving a sigh I sadly looked about my room at the posters I had lining my walls- Colin Dunne, Jean Butler, Michael Flatley, Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Dancing on Dangerous Ground. I had to laugh for a moment. Yeah, I sure was dancing on dangerous ground at this point. I decided to take them all with me. I couldn't leave my stash of Irish dance stuff behind. My family was Irish. My parents were both born, raised, educated and were childhood sweethearts in Dublin. They moved to Raleigh when Michael was four; I got my fiery, wavy red hair from my mom and my bright green eyes from my dad. Most of my family was still in Ireland; I had one set of grandparents in Dublin and the other in Limmerick.

Pulling out my suitcase from under my bed I immediately began to stuff it with clothes and things I would need- the essentials, basically. When I had all I really needed, I began to pack other things into my backpack- my notebook, both pairs of my dance shoes, a couple books, music. Luckily the posters I had on my wall were all from a magazine, and had creases in them from where they had been folded to fit into the magazine. I took them down, folded them up and stacked them neatly inside the pocket of my suitcase. The "Michael-with-cigarette" sighting had happened just after dinner, so by the time I sat down to write my parents a note, it was dark out.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_I love you guys. You gotta know that. You are the best parents in the world, and I don't want either of you to forget it. But… something came up and I really have to go. I realize I don't necessarily belong here anymore. Tell Michael I love him always, despite… things. He will always be my older brother. I will try to call you when I get the chance. Take care of my room for me. That is all I can say now._

_Love, Erin_

I went to bed that night, and after I made sure everyone was asleep, I pulled on my coat, grabbed my things and headed for the window, making sure to leave the note on my desk. Reaching over to my bedside table, I grabbed my watch and what little jewelry I owned, including the lucky bracelet I had gotten when I was six. It was huge for me then, but now it fits perfectly. The climb out the window wasn't difficult, as I had done it many times before to sit out on the rooftop and watch the stars come out. I knew all the constellations by heart.

I had no idea where to go at that point, so I started to brainstorm. New York City sounded good; I'd always wanted to go there. The main highway wasn't too far ahead, so I began to jog to try and get my mind off of things. Suddenly I got this light feeling to me, as if I would blow away if the wind picked up. I remembered my dream. _Try jumping,_ I thought to myself. The day before, this would have all sounded so stupid, but after what had happened earlier that day, it didn't sound so bad. I took a running leap, and sailed in the air. My God, it worked. I started to laugh.

"So much for my driver's license!" I cried in glee as I soared over trees, houses and roads. I came up on the highway in seconds, and decided to follow it north until I got to New York City. If it had been fifteen years earlier I would have looked for the World Trade Center, but for now it would have to be another point of interest. _Aha,_ I smiled. _Lady Liberty._


	2. Strange New World

Morning came when I reached Washington, D.C. That was the last place I wanted to be spotted while in the air, especially after the whole Pentagon/ World Trade Center tragedy back in 2001….. My parents remembered it. They would tell me about it. They hadn't been here two months when it happened. I had seen archive footage of it happening, and it was horrible.  
I decided to walk until dusk, but first things first- I was in our nation's capitol! I had to sightsee for a bit. I was in no hurry. Besides, if my parents started looking for me now, D.C. would probably be one of the last places they'd think of. Before I knew it I had stayed in the D.C. area for five years, living as a runaway in different shelters around the city.

When I was fourteen I watched as a car hit a small child. The boy had left his mother's side to chase his balloon down the street in midday traffic, and I watched as a car came barreling down the street. I called out, running to him, but by the time I got there it was too late. In shock I leaned over the broken child, trying to think. The mother was screaming and the driver had gotten out of the car and was staring me down in appalled shock, which almost came across to me as anger, as if he had actually wanted to hit and kill the boy. Pushing my confusion aside I went to perform CPR on him; my hands were just over his stomach when a bright light seemed to be coming from the space between my hands and him. The boy started and gagged, retching as I lifted him into my arms. The boy looked up at me and smiled, and I returned it. He was fine. I looked up at the crowd as they reacted to what they had seen; most were confused and frightened, almost upset. The driver furiously got back in his car and sped off. With that I gained my third and final power: the ability to heal others.

Also while in D.C. I met a woman who could Irish Step dance, and she taught me for free for all those years. At night while I was alone I would perfect my two, original powers. One week I would be lifting books and shoes and clothes, and the next I would be moving tables. I let myself fly for a few hours afterwards.

One night it hit me, and I realized how stupid it had been to stay there for so long….. Well, I had been thankful for being there to save that little boy, but I decided to continue on to New York City. I went to see my dance teacher and thanked her for all the lessons. I painfully told her I had to go, but that I'd be back to see her.

I continued to fly, and almost made it before the sun started to rise. I got as far as Elizabeth, New Jersey, where I had to stay earthbound to get to NYC. The city was amazing. I used what little money I had to get myself a nice lunch at a nice Italian restaurant, and I immediately went to Radio City Music Hall. It was fantastic.

I left the city, going back to the mainland to wander around and see if I could find anywhere to stay. I started walking when, after about two or three hours, I came upon a small forest. _Oh, good,_ I thought to myself, smiling. _I love the outdoors._ I could have flown if I had wanted, but I love the wilderness so much I decided to walk. After a three-hour walk I was exhausted. Lucky enough for me I came upon a road. I gave a sigh of relief. As much as I love the wilderness, at that point I was glad to have a paved area to walk on.

After a good forty-five minutes, I came upon the entrance to a private area. It was a fancy, brick and metal fence with a sign that read, "Charles Xavier's School for the Gifted." I decided to pay a visit, since I hadn't really seen anything for the past four hours.

As I walked I started to think of my old dream I'd had. The cup, the flying, the— I stopped dead in my tracks. The basketball court. There, out in front of me, I found the basketball court from my dream. Kids were laughing and playing. I figured they must have been pretty smart to go to a school for the gifted.

"Hey."

I turned, startled, to find a teenage couple standing there. The girl had gotten my attention, and she laughed. When she continued I noticed she had a southern accent. "Sorry to have scared you. Are… are you a new student here?"

"Uh…. Well, no, but… I'm… I'm visiting."

"Ah, okay, well, welcome to Xavier's School for the Gifted." The girl smiled. "You looked pretty stunned when we walked up."

"Oh, haha…" I smiled, studying the pair. They didn't look much older than I was. The girl's brown hair was pulled back in a pony tail, but two pieces hung down by her face, both of which were white. She wore a pair of long, arm length gloves that stopped just above her elbows. "I was just thinking," I went on, "You must be pretty smart to be able to go to a school for the gifted. I'm not a fantastic student, so I don't think I'd fit in."

The couple laughed. "Smart?" The boy smiled at me. "Well, yeah, we are smart… but that's not what Professor Xavier meant by 'gifted.'"  
I stared at him. "What?"

The boy took a breath. "This might sound odd, but…. Can you do anything that most people can't? Something you can't explain…. You dreamt about this place and you were led to it, weren't you?"

"Wha…. What do you mean?"

"You're a mutant."

"Whoa, whoa. I'm sorry, come again?"

"A mutant," the girl said simply. "Like…. Bobby here, we call him Iceman because he can freeze things. I, Marie, am called Rogue…. I wear these gloves to protect anyone from coming in actual contact with my skin…. I can't have anyone touch my skin because something happens, and there really isn't a name for it….."

"Oh my gosh. You guys seriously think I believe you?"

Bobby took the Ozarka waterbottle Marie had been drinking from. It was half full with water and seconds later, that water was ice. My jaw dropped.

"_Now_ do you believe us?"

I nodded. "Would, um…. would having the ability to fly and the ability to move objects with your mind make you a mutant?"

"It most certainly would. As a matter of fact, one of our teachers, Jean Grey, has telekinetic powers."

"What about healing abilities? Like if you were to break your arm I could put it back into place for you."

Marie smiled. "Don't worry. You're more than welcome here. Now c'mon, I'm gonna have to introduce you to everyone! Actually, a couple of the professors are out right now, but Professor Xavier is here. C'mon!"

The three of us began to walk to the main entrance. "So… what can Professor Xavier do? I mean, what's his power?"

"He's able to read people's minds and manipulate their thoughts," Bobby said without a hitch.

"No kiddin', huh? That's wild!"

Bobby grinned and nodded. "Hey, you know, you never told us your name, anyway!"

"Right! Haha. Sorry. It's Erin. Erin Murphy."

"Oh, you can't be Irish, now, can you? That name, and all that curly red hair….."

"If you really must know, Marie…. Yes, I am. You found me out." I sighed dramatically, and Marie laughed.

I met Professor Xavier and he was wonderful. I was glad to meet so many nice people here at this place where I would be living for a while. I met Jean Grey and Ororo Munroe, whom everyone called Storm. "Ah!" Professor Xavier smiled when he heard about my healing powers. "You can help the nurse if you'd like. She's been short student aids lately."

"Alright," I nodded happily. "Thanks!"

I was on my way to my living quarters when I got the biggest scare of my life. A man with knives coming from his knuckles leapt from the hallway to my right, and I gave a scream.

"Logan, no! Stop!" Marie pushed me away, and the man calmed down.

"Oh! Jeez, sorry…." He made a face, retracting the knives back into his hands. "New student?"

"Yes."

That's when I passed out.

Hi everyone! The story will continue. For now, please tell me what you think so far. There are a total of fourteen chapters, and this is just the beginning!! There will be more and it will get better. :D Thanks!!


	3. Dreaming of a Blue Moon

When I woke up it was still light out. I was lying by a huge window that overlooked the basketball court. The man with the knives was sitting over me with a smile on his face. "Oh, good, you're up."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Logan. Listen, I'm sorry I scared you so bad. I thought you were someone who wasn't supposed to be here."

"I'm…. I'm good. I've got no weapons or anything on me."

Logan smiled. "I know. You check out."

"How long have I been out?"

"Only a couple hours. It's eight o'clock. You slept through dinner, but we saved you some stuff."

I managed a small smile. "Thanks." Logan handed me the food and I started to eat. "So what do they call you, Logan? Marie is Rogue, Bobby is Iceman, Ororo is Storm, Logan is….."

Logan sighed. "Wolverine."

"What?" I smiled again. "I like it. It suits you. Hey, look at me, I don't even got a name. I mean, I do- I'm Erin Murphy- but not like Marie has Rogue or you have Wolverine. What do you think my name would be?"

Wolverine chuckled. "I dunno. What can you do?"

"Well…. I fly. I can move stuff with my mind, too. I also heal people. Saved a little boy's life once."

"Alright… that's a start. And second off, from your name and appearance I can easily conclude that you must be of Irish decent."

"Right," I nodded. "I bet it doesn't help any that I too have become a fan of stuff like Riverdance and Colin Dunne."

"Well, no, that's good, see," Wolverine pointed at me. "Because not all of us have names that match our abilities, like Storm, for example. I'd bet you'd guess that her power has something to do with the weather and or the atmosphere, right?"

"Yeah."  
"Precisely. She can manipulate the weather. Turn a beautiful sunny day into a winter blizzard, just like that." He snapped. "Then there's someone like me, or Marie, who have names that _don't_ mirror their powers. You'd probably think my name should be…. oh, I don't know, Wolfman or something. But that just sounds too Hollywood."

"So how _did_ you come up with Wolverine?"

"I, uh….. it's- it's a long story. Painful one, too."

I nodded. "Then don't tell me."

Wolverine smiled faintly at me. "Thanks."

Nothing was said for a moment. "So, uh…." I pointed to Wolverine's hands. "Does- does it hurt when they come out?"

"You know, Rogue asked me that same question when we met," Wolverine said, smiling fully at me. He looked down at his hands and nodded. "And I told her, 'Every time.'"

I finished my dinner and decided to go back to bed. I was still really tired. They let me spend the first night by the window; I told them I liked the view. I woke up again in the middle of the night after having my dream again. There was a voice, speaking soft and low, in my dream, and when I woke up I realized it was coming from the window, the basketball court. I glanced at my watch—three in the morning—and then outside to see someone sitting outside my window. Pulling myself off of the sofa I found my way outside. The full moon was enough light for me to make my way to the court. My heart stopped when I saw who it was. He was sitting on the steps with a rosary in his hand, praying in German.

I couldn't say anything; all I could do was walk over to him and sit next to him, and he looked up at me. Yellow eyes, pointed teeth and ears, blue skin, tail. Three fingers per hand. He smiled at me kindly.

"Why are you crying, _kleines_?"

"What? Oh, dear…." I sniffed, starting to laugh. "I dreamt of you… I dreamt for so long…. When I was little I would have a rough day and I dreamt of you that night. I dreamt of you just now."

"You had dreams…. about me?"

I nodded. "But I never knew your name!"

"My name is Kurt Wagner, but in the Munich circus I was known as the incredible Nightcrawler."

I laughed. "Hi, Kurt Wagner. I'm Erin Murphy."

"Are you a student here, Erin?"

"Yes. I'm new. I just got here today. Had no idea I was even to _attend_ until today....."

"Really?" Kurt smiled. "What are your powers?"

"Well…" I smiled back. "I heal people. I can fly, and I can move things with my mind. The last two come in handy for long trips and laziness." Kurt and I laughed.

"Well, let's see it, then!"

"Wha… which do you want me to do?"

"Ah… make something levitate for me."

"Okay…" I noticed he was still holding the rosary in his hand. "Hold out your rosary, Kurt."

He did as he was told, and I concentrated on it. Finally, it lifted from his hand, and Kurt smiled as I made it dance across the night sky. Moments later I had it float back down and land next to Kurt, who took it up and studied it. He smiled at me. "Fantastic!"

"Thanks," I smiled, and for a moment, nothing was said between us. "What can you do?"

A huge grin erupted across his face as he turned to smoke and disappeared. "Wha-" I stood up and looked around. "Kurt?"

"Over here!" His voice came from the other end of the court, and I thought I caught I flash of his coat before he disappeared again. I laughed gleefully. "Kurt, c'mon! Where are you?"

"Don't look away, I'm over here!" It was from the benches this time, the benches I met Iceman and Rogue at earlier that day. I grinned. "Hey, where are you?"

Silence.

"Hello?"

Nothing.

"Kurt?"

_"Guten abend."_

"Aaahh!" I whirled around and there he was. I started to laugh. "You scared me! So you're a teleporter, huh?"

He gave a genuine smile and bowed. "The incredible Nightcrawler, otherwise known as Kurt Wagner, at your service." We said nothing to each other for a few moments, but then Kurt took a step towards me. "Erin, I have dreamt about you, too. I dreamt I knew you and you got lost…. But you came home to the school. I was waiting for you here, on the court where we are now. And you came home…. to me. You were flying and you looked so happy to be home…."

"My dream was like that, too!" We smiled at each other in delight. "Kurt, I heard you praying outside my room tonight. What were you saying?"

"I was asking God to watch over you while you slept."

With tears in my eyes, I ran to Kurt, and he held me in his arms as he smiled. "Oh, Erin. Welcome home."

The next day Rogue and I had breakfast together. "Erin, Cyclops got home last night with Nightcrawler! You should meet them."

I grinned. "Well, I really would like to meet Cyclops. And I would _love_ to see Nightcrawler again."

Rogue gaped at me, delight flashing in her eyes. "When did you meet him?"

"Just last night. I heard him praying outside my room and I went out to meet him."

"Isn't he fantastic?"

"Are you kidding? He's _great_!"

Rogue and I laughed. "He is!" She said, gulping down the rest of her orange juice. "Well, I've got to get to studying for Physics. I know it's so early and all, _and_ a Saturday, but I've gotta do something in order to wake myself up in the morning or else I'll go mad." She put down her glass. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Me? I'll be fine," I assured her with a wave of my hand. "I'll just go shoot some hoops or something. Watch TV, play table hockey… fly a bit…."

Rogue laughed. "Alright. Stay outa trouble, girl."

"I will, Marie, thanks. Good luck on your physics."

At about eleven o'clock, I sat down in the main room to do some reading. I hadn't been reading for more than ten minutes when a blue hand reached around me and gave my nose a tap. "Uh?" I turned around in my seat to see, over the back of the sofa, a pair of yellow eyes watching me intently. "Kurt!" I cried in glee, jumping up and running around the sofa to give him a hug as a grin erupted across his face.

"Hallo, Erin!" Kurt laughed. "And how did you sleep last night?"

"Great. I'm hoping you got some sleep as well?"

He shrugged. "Less than I would have liked, but….." His voice dropped to a whisper as he smiled and gave my hand a squeeze. "But I did dream of you last night, after we met."

My heart melted. _He's **adorable**._ "I dreamt of you, too, Kurt."

"Erin?"

I whirled around to find Jean standing in the doorway, holding a bag of groceries. A group of kids ran past her and she called at them to walk.

"Hiya, Dr. Grey."

"Good morning," she smiled, coming over to us and putting the bag on the sofa as she leaned against it. "I see you and Nightcrawler here have met?"

Kurt put an arm around me and gave a huge smile. "We have indeed."

"As a matter of fact, Dr. Grey," I started. "I was looking for some help unpacking. Kurt, would you like to help me? I sure could use it!"

"Oh….! I would be honored."

I laughed. "Awesome. Thanks a ton."

"Great," Jean winked at me. "Oh, Erin, Rogue wanted me to tell you- I saw her just before I left for town- there's a big dance- slash- party thing going on tonight and she was wondering if you'd like to go. She said she had a group of friends who were going and she figured you'd like to join them."

"Really?" I gaped at her. "Oh dear, I've never been asked to a real party before….." I frowned. "It's going to be fancy isn't it?"

Dr. Grey nodded.

"I don't… I don't have a dress."

A grin spread across Dr. Grey's face. "Well, see, Storm doesn't either, and she's going out for one in an hour. Whaddaya say?"

I beamed. "Oh, Dr. Grey, that would be wonderful!" I gave her a hug. "Thank you so much. You know what, you people have been nothing but amazing to me, ever since I got here. Well, uh… Wolverine did scare the bejesus out of me yesterday in the hallway, but….. I guess it's understandable. How many times does a regular Jo like me come across a man with knives coming from his hands?" Kurt and Dr. Grey laughed. "But I mean, Dr. Grey, you and Storm offering to help me with this dance thing tonight….. Iceman and Rogue greeting me as soon as I stepped onto the property….. Nightcrawler here, praying outside my window last night, asking God to take care of me…."  
Kurt's face went purple as he smiled shyly and shrugged. "Oh, well, ah…."

"Oh, Kurt, that's so sweet," Dr. Grey smiled at him. "Did you really do that?"  
He nodded, still blushing.

"Well, I better get started on my unpacking!" I said, turning to Kurt. "You still wanna come?"

"Of course."

I turned back to Dr. Grey. "Thanks again. Do you want me to come here in an hour?"

"Yeah, meet her back here."


	4. You Belong to Me

"You likin' the place so far?"

"Huh?"

"The school, I mean," Storm smiled as we walked through the rows of clothes.

"Oh! Haha. Yeah, yeah, it's great… nicest place I've been in a long time."

"Where were you before?"

"D.C. I'd been living there for five years before coming here. Oh, how do you like this one?" I stopped for a moment to pick up a purple dress from one of the racks.

Storm made a face. "I dunno… too……. loud, I guess."

"Yeah….."

"So you got family back there? Back in D.C.?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Where are they?"

"Raleigh, North Carolina. I, uh… I ran away when I was thirteen, when I…. you know. Acquired certain talents."

"So… what did you do for five years in D.C.?"

"Stayed at homeless shelters, mostly. Kept my talents hidden by day…. Practiced by night. I had been doing Irish dance since I was a child, and amazingly enough there was a woman in D.C. who knew everything there was to know about Irish dance- how to do it, the history….." I smiled. "Last I saw her was Thursday, the day before yesterday."

"Well I'm glad you're here and off the streets!" Storm laughed, shocked.

"Yeah, I'm glad to be home."

Storm stopped. "Home?"

A few feet ahead of her, I stopped too, and turned to face her, thinking a moment. "Yeah. Home. I feel more at ease and at home with you people than I did with my own family, despite the fact they were wonderful. I just don't think they would have appreciated me anymore."

"Oh, honey….." Storm came over to me and smiled. "I know your family still loves you. How couldn't they? I've known you for not even a day and already I'm crazy about you."

I laughed. "Thanks, Storm."

"No, really," she smiled. "You ever thought about paying them a visit again?"

"Yeah, I have, actually," I replied, after taking a deep breath. "I want to tell them, but…. I'm just not ready."

"I know. And you don't have to be, you don't have to tell them now. Give it time." She gave me another smile and my hand a squeeze. "So! I know you've only been here a day, but have you made any friends?"

"I have indeed…." I went through the exceptionally short list in my mind and blushed when I came to Kurt.

"Oh, now wait a minute…." Storm stopped, folding her arms as she looked at me with a smug grin on her face. "I've seen that look on a girl's face before. You met a guy, didn't you?"

My face went even redder than it had been before and I nodded, smiling shyly.

"And what might this lucky guy's name be?"

"Kurt."

Storm's jaw dropped. "Wagner?" _Nightcrawler?_ She mouthed.

I nodded. "I feel kindof bad because he must be a lot older than I am…."

"Oh, don't feel so bad. Kurt is such a good guy, so…. caring. And I mean to everyone. That being said, I don't think the age thing would matter. I mean, I dunno….. I personally say go for it. I mean what have you got to lose, really?"  
At three o'clock, an hour later, we were paying for our gowns at the register. I had found a cool lookin' blue one with spaghetti straps that I loved, and Storm thought it looked great on me. We got back to the school at about four thirty, after eating some lunch at the food court in the mall. The party started at seven, so I went ahead and started to get ready when we got home.

After a shower I dried my hair, pulled on my dress, sprayed on some perfume and I was ready to fly—well, not literally, of course, but I was ready. I pulled on my new sandals and left my room with Rogue, who had gotten dressed there while I used the bathroom. On our way to the main hall we ran into a young man with red sunglasses. Rogue introduced him to me as Scott Summers, better known as Cyclops because of the powerful rays emitted from his eyes if the glasses were to be removed.

Cyclops joined us to the main hall. The place looked amazing; there were lights, balloons and confetti everywhere! What a party. It even had music. Rogue and I found Bobby and his friend John ("Pyro") sitting with Dr. Grey and Storm, and we joined them. Naturally, the first person I looked for was Kurt, but there was no sign of him. I leaned over to Dr. Grey, who was seated next to me.

"Hey, do you know where Kurt is?"

"Uh…" Dr. Grey looked around a bit. "No, I dunno. I guess he's running a little late, that's all."

I nodded. "Listen, I'm gonna run to the bathrooms. Could you direct me to them?"  
"Sure, they're just out the door you came in and down the hall to the right."

"Thanks."

I finished in the bathroom and was making my way to the main hall when I saw a familiar someone ahead, wearing a tux.

"Kurt!"  
My new friend whirled around and his eyes went wide. He staggered back a couple steps, putting a hand to his heart. "Oh, _kleines_!" Kurt grinned. "You look beautiful!"

Again, I could feel my face go red. "Aw, knock it off…."

"I am not joking!" His smile widened.

"Well, what about you? You look so handsome!" I laughed. "I've never seen you in a tux before… not even in my dreams."

Kurt laughed with me. "Come," he offered me his arm. "Let's dance."

"Alright," I nodded, taking his arm as he led me to the main hall. As we entered, I could see Storm at our table, off to our left. She saw me as well and winked at me. Next to her Jean smiled, and I could hear her voice in my head. _Go, Erin!_

_Thank you,_ I mouthed, grinning. "You know what?" I turned to Kurt. "I'm a little thirsty. You want me to get you anything?"

"Oh! No, ah, thank you…. I'm fine," Kurt shook his head. "You go on, I will wait for you here."

"Okay," I smiled.

Once I got to the table I was immediately joined by Rogue, who helped herself to some lemonade. "He-ey! Correct me if I'm wrong, but did I just see you walk in with Kurt Wagner?"

I groaned, but couldn't help smiling. "Yes, yes, you did, you did. Thank you, Marie."

"So are you guys… you know….."

"No, we're not!" I laughed. "We're just…. we're just friends."

"Uh huh," Rogue tried not to smile.

_"Dude!"_ I grinned, my jaw dropping. "Wha- why- _argh!_ Did someone set you up to this? Storm?" I called, and when she turned to look at me I pointed at Rogue. Storm just shrugged and shook her head, but we both knew she was kidding.

Rogue burst out laughing, giving me a hug as I returned it. "Oh, Erin, you know that if there's one thing we love more than you, it's giving you a hard time!"

I nodded, rolling my eyes as I smiled at her.

"Well, hon, I'm gonna go eat. You go have some fun, eh?"

"Alright, alright." I smiled at her. "You and Bobby come dance soon, 'kay?"

"You bet, girl," Rogue grinned at me.

That's when I heard one of my favorite songs start, a cover of _You Belong to Me_ sung by Jason Wade. I was about to turn to find Kurt to dance when a familiar blue hand reached around me and tapped my nose. Smiling, I turned around to find Kurt grinning at me. "_Guten abend,_ Erin. Would you care to dance with me?"

My smile widened. "More than anything."

We got out on the dance floor and started to dance. "Why, Erin, you're shaking!" Kurt pulled me closer to him. "Are you cold?"

"Oh, haha…. No, I'm fine. I guess I'm just a little nervous, that's all. I've never really danced with anyone before… I mean, I've been taking Irish dance since I was little, but I never--"

"Sshh…." Kurt chuckled quietly. "It's alright, _klienes_. You're doing just fine." Kurt pulled me into a hug as I rested my head on his shoulder and smiled.

"_And I'll be so alone without you….. Maybe you'll be lonesome too…._ _Fly the ocean in a silver plane…. See the jungle when it's wet with rain…. Just remember 'till you're home again….. You belong to me."_

The rest of the night was fantastic. We all had so much fun; naturally, Storm and Marie gave me a hard time about my dancing. "I'll show you," I told them, laughing. "One day, you'll see."


	5. Those Sweet Words

Weeks passed. The weeks turned into months, and before I knew it, I had been there for almost two years. It was now April, and my twentieth birthday was coming up. Kurt and I had become best friends, talking and joking like we had known each other our entire lives.

Since I had gotten there, I had joined an Irish Dance class to further help my dancing. I paid for it with my own money, since I had gotten a job at a movie theater in October. I had put on only one or two performances for my school, and they had absolutely loved it. By my birthday, my teacher said that I was ready for competition. I only needed an official competition dress, something I had wanted since I was a little girl but had never had the money for.

My birthday was on a Friday, and that afternoon, I had just finished taking a run when I came to the kitchen to find Kurt at the table, so I grabbed a bottle of water and sat with him for a while.

"You know, it was the damnedest thing; yesterday, after dance class, I was practicing, and there was the strangest man there…. I mean, he was your regular looking guy, but…."

"Odd," said Kurt, puzzled. "Do you know who he was?"

"No…. he was watching us- me and my friends- and was taking notes. I wasn't frightened of him, just… curious, you know? What was that guy writing, anyhow?"

"_Ja_…. Very interesting, indeed." Kurt paused. "Erin, ah…. I really need to talk to you."

"Oh?" I put down my water. "What about?"

"Well, I…" Kurt glanced around the kitchen nervously. "I can't talk to you about it here. Meet me tonight at eight o'clock outside the doors to the main hall."

"Kurt, is everything alright?" I took his hand.

"Everything is fine, _kleines_," he smiled at me, squeezing my hand. "I'd just… really like to talk to you tonight."  
"Okay," I said quietly, smiling back. "Well! Listen, uh, I'm gonna go take a shower; I feel like….. well, words I cannot say out loud here, with little ears around." I nodded towards the small group of fourth grade girls gathered at the table to my left. Kurt laughed.

"It is quite awful out, isn't it?"

"You said it," I grinned. "I'll see ya later."

That night at ten 'till eight, I sat on my bed, practically boring a hole in the wall with my gaze. I hadn't moved in about fifteen minutes. I just sat there, thinking of what Kurt wanted to talk about. It could have been anything, and I decided not to trouble myself with worrying about it. I sighed, throwing myself back on my bed. After my first night at the school, they moved me to a small, extra bedroom they had next door to Storm's. They had been trying to find me a place with the rest of the students, but somehow we just didn't get around to it, so here I was, with my own room. I looked at my watch again; it was seven fifty-nine. Close enough. Crawling out of bed, I pulled on my shoes and started making my way to the main hall. Kurt was there when I arrived, and he came over to me, giving me a hug.

"Hallo, Erin," he smiled.

"Hey," I said quietly.

"Ah!" Kurt turned around to a small table by the doors. "This… this is for you." On the table lay one red rose. Picking it up he brought it to me, and I beamed.

"Oh, Kurt… oh, it's beautiful. Thank you so much!"  
"_Es ist nichts,_" he smiled shyly at me. "That is not all. I have something else I want to show you." Turning, he was about to open up the doors to the main hall but stopped. "Come," he motioned for me. I slowly went over to him, taking his outstretched hand and I gasped as he put his right arm around my waist, gently pulling me towards him.

"Now close your eyes," Kurt whispered in my ear, and I did what he said, smiling.

"Kurt, I…."

"Trust me." I could almost hear the smile in his voice as he opened the doors. "Are your eyes still closed?"

"Yes."

"Good. I've got you. Now come on." With his arm still around my waist he led me into the main hall until he had me stop.

"Can I open my eyes now?"

"No, no, not yet…." I could feel him right there next to me, his voice in my left ear. "Erin, there's something I have been wanting to tell you for a while now…… and that is….."

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERIN!!"

A chorus of voices and wild cheering filled the main hall as I opened my eyes in shock. Kurt still had his arm around me and was grinning like crazy at his success. Jean, Storm, Scott, Logan, Professor Xavier, Rogue, Kitty, Bobby, John…. Everyone was there. All my friends and a lot of my classmates…. I started laughing and turned to Kurt. "You traitor!" I slugged him in the shoulder, and he gave me a hurt look through his laughter.

"Ow, Erin! So violent!" Kurt pouted, rubbing his shoulder.

"You deserved it," I smiled.

The party was awesome. I couldn't believe these people had gone to all the trouble just to throw me this thing! As I stood there, dancing with Rogue and another one of my new friends, Kitty, I smiled. I was home, with people just like me. I knew that as much as I loved my family and vice versa, these people were my family now. I'd stopped "fitting in" with humans when I caught my brother smoking.

Jean had rented a karaoke machine that day, and had borrowed a bunch of karaoke CD's from a friend of hers in Boston. They had me go first, so I sang "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." After a bunch of my friends and some of the teachers had gone, Kurt finally jumped up with a CD in hand and bounded over to Jean. He was talking to her quietly, pointing to a song on the back of the CD he was holding and then pointing at me. I looked away quickly, pretending I hadn't seen. Knowing Jean, I immediately cleared my mind of what I just saw and started thinking about my family instead.

"Hallo?" Kurt tested out the microphone. "Ah, yes," he smiled. "It's working. Okay, ah… I'd like to dedicate this one to Erin, since it's her birthday, and…." Kurt looked at me, and I could see miles of thoughts flash behind his yellow eyes, but he said nothing. "_Ja._ Alright." He smiled at me. "For you, Erin."

I beamed. No one had ever sung me a song, much less thrown me a surprise party. Kurt wasn't two lines into the song by Frank Sinatra when I could feel my eyes fill.

"Someday, when I'm awfully low, when the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you… and the way you look tonight." It was funny because we never took our eyes off each other the entire song. He came down to sit in front of me; out of the corner of my eye I could see Rogue going nuts. "Isn't that _adorable_, Dr. Grey?"

"Yes, you're lovely, with your smile so warm, and your cheek so soft, there is nothing for me but to love you, and the way you look tonight.

"With each word your tenderness grows, tearing my fear apart… and that laugh that wrinkles your nose, touches my foolish heart…."

My eyes were still watering come the end of the song. "Lovely… never, ever change. Keep that breathless charm. Won't you please arrange it? 'Cos I love you… and the way you look tonight. Just the way you look…. tonight."

Everyone was on their feet, cheering, and I could feel tears start to come. "God, _Kurt,_" my voice shook as he took me in his arms. "God….. thank you so much. Thank you, thank you…. so beautiful….." I could barely talk.

Kurt pulled me back for a second. "Erin, you are the greatest friend in the entire world. I've got something for you." With a grin, Kurt turned around and grabbed a somewhat large box from under his seat. "Here…. Open it!"

"Thank you!" I smiled, still crying a little bit. Tearing away at the paper I opened up the box… and started to bawl when I pulled out the dark blue Irish Dance competition dress I had wanted ever since I was little. I couldn't take it. Bolting up with the dress, I ran for the room with the window overlooking the basketball court. It was dark and empty. Collapsing on the window seat, I cried and cried and cried tears of joy, unable to take all the kindness these beautiful people were showing me. I looked out the window a moment, tears still streaming down my face as I studied the cloudless, moonlit sky. Moments later I heard a sound to my left, and saw Kurt's familiar form approaching me. He smiled at me. "May I join you?"

I nodded and he took a seat next to me. "Jean is crying. She said that when she read your thoughts as to why you suddenly left, she could read them perfectly. She said they were such happy thoughts that they made her cry as well."

I smiled at him. "Really?"

"Really really."

"So how did you….?" I held up the dress.

"Well," Kurt beamed. "I remember you telling me you'd always wanted one, and when you finally needed one, I gave Storm the money I had saved for it and she went out to get it. I don't think the shop she got it in would have… liked seeing someone like me in there, so…." He shrugged.

Two years earlier I was a street kid, not thinking anything good would ever happen in my life, and here I was, talking to someone I'd never imagine existed. "Kurt….. this dress is beautiful. How can I ever repay you?"

"You don't need to," Kurt chuckled. "It's a birthday gift, from me to you."  
"Thank you. Thank you _so much_. This is probably one of the nicest things anyone has ever gotten me. Actually…." I thought a minute. "Yeah. The best gift I've ever received. Thank you."

"_Bitter schöen_," Kurt smiled shyly at me.

I beamed, glancing up and out the window. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"

"Yes….." Kurt took a look out the window and smiled faintly, but after a second I could see him watching me out of the corner of my eye.

"Erin, how would you react if I told you I wanted to kiss you right now?"

I could feel more tears slide down my face as I turned to look at him, smiling. Kurt touched my cheek, wiping away my tears as I leaned towards him and we kissed. Moments later, he pulled away, studying my face.

"What is it, Kurt?"

He shook his head and smiled. "Happy birthday, _kleines_."

I grinned at him, and went back for another kiss.

We were silent only for a few moments after it was over. "So…" Kurt smiled at me, putting an arm around my shoulder. "What do you say we go back to that party, eh?"

"That would be great," I grinned, wrapping my arm around his waist.

"Good," Kurt laughed with me.

German vocab quiz

_Es ist nichts_: it's nothing

_Ja_: yeah/ yes

_Bitter schoen_: you're welcome


	6. Be There to Love Me in the Morning

We got back to the main hall, and Jean's eyes were red. I glanced at Kurt and smiled, breaking away from him for a moment to go talk with Jean. Soon, my friend Kitty called me over. She and Rogue were looking over one of the karaoke CD's.

"Oh, Erin," Kitty grinned. "You remember when we watched that movie Chicago over Christmas and got the soundtrack?"

"Yeah?"

"Well look at this," Rogue handed me the CD. "Track three."

I gave a cry of surprise. "All That Jazz!"

Rogue looked at the two of us, and a grin slowly spread over her face. "Let's do it, guys."

"Yeah. Erin, you're Velma, okay? You get the lead. It's your birthday."

"Okay," Storm saw us putting in the CD and called out to us. "What's the next song?"

"We are doing 'All That Jazz' from the Chicago movie soundtrack," I told her. Looking over to Kurt, who was seated front row with a big smile on his face, I pointed at him. "This is for you," I grinned.

A minute and a half into the song, Catherine Zeta- Jones and I began to sing. "C'mon, babe, why don't we paint the town? And all that Jazz! I'm gonna rouge my knees and roll my stockings down…. And all that jazz!" I did my best Velma impression I could, and the audience loved it—especially Kurt. Storm turned to him and asked, "Have you ever seen Chicago?" Kurt, laughing, shook his head. "No, never, but this is great!"

Before we knew it the song was coming to an end, but Kitty, Rogue and I were having a blast. "Oh, I'm no man's wife but, oh, I love my life! And all…. that…… jazz! _That jazz_!"

Everyone was cheering. "Yes!" Kurt cried in glee. "That's my girl! Go, Erin!"

When the party was over at about one in the morning, I said goodnight to everyone, not forgetting to thank them for the wonderful party. I also made it a point not to forget the beautiful dress I had gotten. Kurt walked me to my room with his arm around me. "That was great, Erin, that whole… Jazz song you did," Kurt grinned.

"Haha, thanks," I smiled at him. "I love that song. I remember as a kid my friends and I would pretend we were girls from the prison… kindof sadistic, since they were all in there for killing their husbands or whatever…. But we had great fun with it. I always remember my older brother got a big kick out of it." Kurt laughed. "So, hey," I started again. "I remember the day I met you, you mentioned something about being in the Munich circus. What was that like?"

Kurt slowed. "Well, uh…"

"Oh… oh, honey, if you don't want to talk about it…."  
"No." Kurt shook his head. "No, it's not that. I do want to talk about it, it's just that… it's a little hard to."

I nodded. "Well if you need me, I'm here. You know that." By that time we had come to a full stop in the hallway, and Kurt was thinking hard, staring off at the floor before I tilted his chin up to make him look at me.

"Hey," I smiled. "Are you okay?" I noticed a single tear come down his face, and I brushed it away. "Aw, not you, too!"

He laughed, sniffing. "I wasn't used to this in the Munich circus. That is the first thing I can tell you. When I started dreaming of you I thought to myself, 'Oh, well, a pretty girl, but the chances of her actually existing? The chances of me….. ever being loved? No chance, not ever.' I still pity people for being afraid of knowing nothing past what they see with their own two eyes, but….. it still hurts….. especially when people call me names. 'Monster, freak, demon' they say, and they turn away." Kurt made a face, trying not to cry. "I am not a demon…."

"Oh, sweetheart….." I took him in my arms. _The poor thing…._ "Of course not. See, that's what I hate about some people. They are too quick to judge. They see you and say, 'I can't know him because he must be as bad as he looks.' But you know what? Hey…" I made him look at me through his tears. "You know what I think?"

Kurt shook his head.

"I think you are beautiful, inside _and_ outside. I think you are an angel sent from God Himself. And may God save the soul of anyone who thinks otherwise…." I smiled. "Or else they'll have to answer to me, at least." Kurt laughed. "Because I, on the other hand, _am_ a demon when it comes to someone harassing or harming the ones I love and care about, and this includes you! They mess with one of my friends or family, they'll begin to wish their daddy had never met their momma."

Kurt laughed even harder as he pulled me into a hug. "Oh, my Erin….. Thank you."

I invited him in when we got back to my room, but he stopped. "Well, ah….. see, my shower is not working, and I was wondering if I could borrow yours by any chance?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Great, great. Thank you," Kurt grinned.

"No problem."

"In that case let me go grab some clothes and I'll be back."

"Okay," I nodded. Grinning, Kurt waved and promptly disappeared in a puff of smoke. I started to get ready for bed, pulling on my pajamas and washing my face. I had just brushed my teeth and was walking out of the bathroom to throw my clothes in the hamper when _BAMF_- Kurt appeared right there in front of me, and I nearly went crazy. Kurt and I started laughing, and I had to sit down for a moment.

"I'm sorry," Kurt smiled, putting his new clothes down next to him. "Should I have knocked first?"

"Yes," I was still laughing. "As a matter of fact, go out and do it again, the right way this time." I leaned against him, still smiling, when I saw my dress draped across my chair. "Oh!" I jumped up. "I've gotta hang this thing up in my closet or something."

Kurt took his things into the bathroom, putting them on the counter. I happened to pass by the door when he pulled his shirt off and I stopped. He was covered in fine-lined tattoos.  
"Oh, Kurt…." I walked in as he turned to me, and I took his arm, studying the tattoos. "These are beautiful. What are they?"

"They're angelic symbols, brought to humans by the angel Gabriel. I did them myself."

"All by yourself? They're amazing. How many are there?"

"Well… One for every sin, so…. Quite a few," he chuckled.

"Oh?" I smiled at him as he blushed. Laughing I pulled him towards me and gave him a quick kiss. "I'll be in the other room, reading."

I curled up in bed with my book while Kurt was in the shower. A group of us had gone to the bookstore the week earlier to buy some books. Kurt had made me a list of books to pick up for him, too, so I came back with quite a collection. Before long my eyes began to get heavy, and although I wasn't really tired, I put my book down and closed my eyes. I could hear the shower shut off moments later, and I could hear Kurt humming as he got dressed. I recognized the song as the one by Frank Sinatra he had sung me that night. Cracking my eyes open a bit, I saw the door open. Kurt stepped out in a pair of pajama pants and a white shirt, and he stopped humming when he saw that I was "asleep." Putting his old clothes down he came over and took a seat next to me on the bed. I didn't move.

"Lovely…" he sang softly, gently touching my cheek. "Never, ever change… keep that breathless charm….. Won't you please arrange it? 'Cos I love you…. And the way you look tonight." Smiling, I opened my eyes and finished the song with him. "Just the way you look… tonight."

"Oh, you're awake…." Kurt gave an embarrassed grin, burying his face in his hands and shaking his head.

I laughed, taking his hand. "I've never met anyone quite like you."

"Well," he shrugged, smiling. "I've never met anyone who looks like this, either, but….."

"You know what I mean," I laughed again, and for a moment I couldn't say anything as I smiled up at the amazing person seated in front of me.

For a moment nothing happened, and I could see sadness in his eyes. "Oh, Erin…" There was pain in his voice as he took me up in his arms. "I don't want to hurt you."

I pulled away to look at him, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I…. don't want to cause you any trouble. You are so young, you have the rest of your life ahead of you. What I'm saying is that, if we were together, I don't want you to be ashamed of me."

"What?" I gaped at him. "You- you think I'd be….. _ashamed_ of you?" I could feel a knot form in my throat as my shaking voice rose slightly. "How could you say that? How can you ever think that I'd ever be ashamed of you?" I pulled him towards me in a hug. "Don't say that to me, please don't say that again…." And in the early hours of a Saturday morning the two of us clung to each other tightly and cried. I must have fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes again it was light out and Kurt was gone.


	7. Things Get Complicated

But while I slept, I dreamt about Kurt. It was different from the recurring dream I had had so many times before…… We were in my room, and it was abnormally dark, but I could still see what was going on. I saw myself asleep in my bed. Kurt was crouched next to me, head bent, clutching his rosary as he prayed softly. When he finished he crossed himself, rose to his feet, leaned over and gently gave me a kiss before quickly leaving. The image dissolved to a prison, one, I'm sure, not many people had seen. It didn't seem like your everyday prison…. It was so much more… sadistic, I guess. Dark, gloomy. Evil seeping from the walls, evil that didn't necessarily come from the prisoners themselves. I seemed to be floating down the hall as I heard voices crying out in despair, sadness and pain, until one voice reached my ears. A sad, desparate, familiar voice, crying out in German. I only recognized two words: "_kleines_" and "Erin."

"Kurt?" I heard myself cry out. "Kurt, I'm coming! I'm here!" I followed the sound of his voice, all the way to a metal door with a small window on it. There was a cover for it, but it was off, so I peered in and was horrified by what I saw. There was Kurt, huddled in the corner, blindfolded, hands and feet bound. His clothes were torn and filthy, and he had obviously been beaten; his right sleeve was missing and there was a terrible wound in his upper arm. I could almost feel his energy ebbing away. "God, Kurt, what have they done to you?" I cried in pain, but he didn't seem to hear me. "Kurt? Kurt!" At that, it was as if I was being pulled from the door, away from him…. "Nooo!" My own screams rang in my ears and everything went white.

I stumbled out of bed at about nine thirty and slowly made my way to the kitchen. My head was spinning from the night before; happiness from the party mixed with pain on how Kurt thought I felt about him…. And most of all, fear from the horrible nightmare. But in all, it had been a fantastic night because my finding Kurt in the prison was only a dream. When I got to the kitchen I found Bobby and John at a table in the corner, almost in a daze. Rogue, who had a detached look on her face, was at the refrigerator getting breakfast. Jean, Storm, Cyclops and Professor Xavier were gathered around the small island, talking quietly in concerned voices. They stopped when they saw me, and I could feel a big, empty hole begin to form in my gut. Right then, somehow, I knew.

"It's Kurt, isn't it?" I took a step back, getting ready for the blow.

"Miss Murphy, if you could come with me to the table, please?" Professor Xavier turned and went to join my friends. I sat down next to Rogue and the professor sat facing me. "I have just received word from Dr. Grey that last night, she could hear you crying out in your sleep. Something about…." He turned to Jean. "What was it?"

"You were saying something like….. 'What did they do to you, Kurt? They've hurt you…'"

"The reason we bring this up—and mind you, you are not in trouble in any way—is because when I was sitting out here about two hours ago ago, Nightcrawler came out to the kitchen to get himself something to eat. He said something to me about going out for a bit and that he'd call in an hour. He mentioned going to church. Anyhow…. he hasn't contacted us. I tried using Cerebro, but…. Nothing. I can't locate him. Something seems to be blocking my telepathy, much like when I would try to find Magneto; the helmet he wears prevents me from knowing where he is. And _then_….." Professor Xavier's face was etched with worry. "Dr. Grey suffered a severe headache, in which she claims she saw Kurt at his church, and three men carry him away. He wasn't struggling, so we assumed he had been knocked out, perhaps…."

It felt as if I had been punched in the stomach; for a few moments I could barely breathe. I finally got air into my lungs, and my voice shook. "What Jean heard was me talking in my sleep from a dream I had. I could hear voices crying out in grief… I was in a prison. A horrible prison in which…. evil seemed to come at me from everywhere and everyone except the prisoners. And then….. and then I heard a new voice above all the rest, speaking in German, crying out in pain and despair….. Of what he was saying I could only recognize two words: _kleines_ and my name. 'Erin, Erin…' he would weep in agony." Tears spilled down my face. "And that's when I found him. He was locked in this little cell….. He had been severely beaten. There was a gash in his upper arm, and his wrists and ankles were bound together. He was blindfolded…." An idea struck me through my grief. "Professor, whoever took him knows he's a teleporter. Why else would they have blindfolded him? They obviously know that, and they must know more than just that as well. Kurt can't teleport to anywhere he hasn't seen before. He has to have seen the place!"

Cyclops straightened up. "She's got a point there, Professor."

"Yeah," Jean seconded the motion. "I mean whoever's leading this must be one of us. Or…. they at least must know us very well…. or know Kurt very well." She paused. "Well… wait a minute…. On a previous note, Kurt is a teleporter. So why not just teleport himself back to the school?"

"Well, it could be for many reasons," Rogue piped up. "One, maybe they've threatened his life if he tried. Two, maybe he's too weak. Or three…. maybe he can't teleport that far. It could also be a combination of the three."

"That's true, that's very true….." Professor Xavier nodded.

"Do you think Stryker could be the one behind all of this?" Storm asked. "William Stryker? I know he had done testing on Logan." She turned to me. "Stryker is the one who gave Logan his adamantium skeleton. If it weren't for his amazing healing capabilities, he would have died."

"No….." Jean shook her head, staring at the floor. "It wasn't Stryker."

Cyclops took her arm. "Jean? How do you know?"

"I just do. It was someone much more powerful……"

"Oh, my God…" I moaned, burying my face in my arms. "What do you think's happening right now? To him, to the others?"

"Things I think we'd rather not know about," Bobby shook his head, then looked about the room. "Hey, where's Logan?"

"He's out at the church, looking for anything suspicious," Storm said. "He should be back by noon, I'd think."

Noting was said for a few moments, and suddenly I remembered something. "You know what, at my dance class Thursday night there was a strange man watching my friends and I as we practiced. He looked like a normal guy, non-threatening, but he was taking notes! I told Kurt about it yesterday."

Jean shut her eyes. "No, no….." She finally shook her head. "He has nothing to do with this, I don't think."

When Logan did get back, it was twelve forty five, and time had gone by slower than it should of. I worried myself sick the whole day. I was at my usual spot at the window seat, staring out over the basketball court Kurt and I had met at when I was eighteen. I could see him like he was standing in front of me……..

"Erin."

I turned to find Logan standing in the doorway. Managing a smile I swung my feet over to the floor. "Anything?"

He came towards me, digging through his pocket. "Uh…. Well, not a whole lot…. There was one candle lit, and….. I found this on the floor. I, uh… I thought you might like to have it until Kurt comes home. You know, hold on to it for him."

I held out my hand, and from his pocket Logan pulled Kurt's rosary and dropped it into my hand. Everything welled up inside of me, but I managed to keep it down as I studied the cross. I looked up at Logan.

"Thank you."

"No problem," Logan forced a smile, and I could see he was obviously distressed over this, as we all were. "I'll just…. be in the kitchen," he motioned to the door.

"Okay. I'll be fine here, I just need some time alone for a bit, I guess."

"Understandable. We'll be here if you need us."

"Thanks, Logan." I watched him leave, then looked back down at the rosary. My throat tightened and I finally had to let it all out. Clutching Kurt's rosary I leaned against the window and let myself cry.


	8. A History Lesson

Hi Everyone! Thanks for your patience! So we're about half way done with the story, and here's where things get interesting. I'll keep posting more chapters as we go along; I think I'll post two more right now, to even ten chapters, and save the remaining four for tonight. Muaha. Why? Oh, 'cos I'm evil like that. Keep those interested waiting. :D

Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy -- and thanks, Tessabe, for being the first reviewer! :D Almost done!

Lady Mathilde

One empty week passed. My grades began to slip; I couldn't focus. Every night I would have dreams about Kurt in that disgustingly awful prison, tied down like an animal…. He was rapidly losing weight from not getting enough food. And then there would be the sporadic dream of just hearing him praying in his native German….. and he didn't sound afraid, didn't sound like he was in any pain.

On Thursday I finished my homework early, and was unusually tired, so I decided to hit the sack. Of course, that night didn't go by without another dream, but this time it was different. In all my other dreams, they ended like the first nightmare, with me leaving the prison but it all going to white before I got outside. This time I made it outdoors and, even in my dream, I was shocked to find where this place was. First off, I discovered it was underground, but most importantly was where it was located under- and that's when I had the flashback. I woke up in a start, unable to move as it played before my eyes like a movie.

Monticello had been the home of our second president, Thomas Jefferson. One of his men was a German immigrant by the name of Erik Wagner, and Erik knew of certain people in the colonies with unusual abilities. He objected to them so highly that he totally disassociated himself from them entirely, and if he were to find out that he had known someone with certain powers and he hadn't known it, he, again, would break total contact with them. Erik wanted these people dead and gone, for he thought they were a menace to society.

One day his wife, who had come with him from Germany years before, gave birth to a boy whom they named Sebastian. For years Erik raised his son as best he could, and was the best father he could be until one day, shortly after Sebastian's fourteenth birthday, Erik watched from the window of Monticello as local children began to taunt his son. They were merciless, and to everyone's shock, Sebastian barely looked at one of the boys when that boy went flying across the lawn just like he had been picked up and thrown by a full grown man. Soon every kid was on the ground moaning in pain as Sebastian stood there in shock.

Well imagine the father's surprise! He promptly threw Sebastian out of the house, totally against the wishes of his wife. "Your son, Erik! Your own son!" She cried. But that didn't faze Erik a bit. Sebastian was different, and that wasn't good, no matter if he happened to be his own son. So Erik's wife took Sebastian and left. Headed straight back for Munich, Germany, where the family has stayed since.

The "film" started to pick up, going through the generations until I came to the most recent descendant- my Kurt. And I finally saw the face of the person whom had been doing all of this to him. It was his own father.

"Your son, your own son……." I found myself sobbing and stumbling through the halls, not having an earthly idea of how I got out of bed and half way across the school. "Jean!" I screamed. "Jean, Jean!"

Soon she joined me and luckily it was just as I collapsed. She caught me and carried me back in my room, and on the way there she sent a message to Professor Xavier to hurry quick. When he got there I was coherent enough to explain to them what I had seen. The professor immediately told me to get dressed, and he had Jean ready the jet. He was going to wake the others. "We must go now," he said. "Or else it may be too late. I'll send Scott by to get you in a few moments, Erin. Hurry now."

It was the fastest I had ever gotten ready to leave: I brushed my teeth, washed my face, combed my hair, pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, tied on my pair of high tops and grabbed my jacket in under five minutes. When Scott knocked I called for him to come in. "Hurry," he told me. "We have to go."

"Coming, coming," I responded, grabbing Kurt's rosary from my dresser. Slamming my door, I tied the rosary around my wrist as we ran for the jet. Scott and I met up with Storm on the way out, and as we boarded the jet I got my first look at the insides. I was so on edge, though, I just went to one of the many seats it had in the back. Logan, Rogue and Jean were already there, and soon Bobby and Professor Xavier joined us. Rogue sat with me in the back, and nothing was said for a few moments as she studied the design on the back of her gloves.

"I…. I'm sorry about all of this. I'm sorry I teased you."  
"Oh, Rogue, you didn't mean it," I said. "And… thank you. Thanks for coming."

"Anything for a friend." The two of us smiled at each other and hugged. "Do… do you wanna talk about what you saw?"

I took in a shaky breath. "Let's just say three things: The prison is underground at Monticello, it's Kurt's father, and this has happened in his family before."

"His own father," Rogue said, appalled.

I nodded. "I was awake when I found all this out, but I couldn't move…. it was like I was tied down and forced to watch this. When it was over I found myself stumbling through the halls and crying and saying it, 'Your own son, your son…..'" Leaning back in my seat I shuddered. "I just hope we get to him in time."  
"We will," Rogue smiled at me, taking my hand. "We will."


	9. Don't Get Mad, Get Even

When the jet touched down in a vacant lot in Virginia, Professor Xavier steered humans clear of the lot by using his ability to make people think what he wanted them to. He then set the jet on invisible once we got outside.

It was still dark out, but we only had a little time to find the entrance to the underground prison before the sun came up and people really started to arrive. The walk to our second president's home wasn't a long one, and when we got there, we saw we were at the back of the house. Professor Xavier came over to me. "Now, Erin, can you remember where the entrance is?"

I sighed. "Oh, boy, let me think…. Ah…."

"Take your time."

"I remember it being somewhere around front." I started walking around to the front of the house, and the professor followed. "The door is covered by grass and…. something else…. Something else under the grass…." I paused, rubbing my eyes as I tried to concentrate on my dream.

"Okay." I finally found the place in the grass I had been standing in my dream. I turned to face the house, then looked down to my right…. and noticed, just poking out from the grass, a brass ring. I smiled, looking up at my companions. "I've found it."

Lifting up the door as quietly as I could, I was surprised to find it was lighter than I thought it would have been. The professor stopped me before I could open the door fully.

"Wait…." He looked at the edge of the door, then pulled away the grass from the top. "It's the same metal Magneto uses in his helmet. That's why I couldn't find Kurt using Cerebro."

I hurriedly went down the steps and could feel my blood run cold. I was in my dream again, and I could hear the yells and cries of the prisoners.

"Erin."

I turned around to find Logan standing there. "Scott and I are coming with you. The others are going in the house to look around for anything."

"Thanks."

"Lead the way," Scott managed a small smile.

Turning back to the hallway, I started walking. Chills ran up and down my spine as we made our way into the heart of the prison, and finally we came upon the right hallway. Just above all the other voices in the prison, I could hear a man tearfully praying in German.

"Kurt…" Sprinting down the hallway I came to the door from my dream and peered through the little window. Sure enough, there he was, huddled in the corner. He was so skinny and beaten, covered in dirt and blood…. Kurt's wrists were tied together behind his back and ankles were bound as well. He was still blindfolded.

"Oh, God." I tried the door but it was locked tight. "Scott, you're gonna have to blast through here. Can you do it?"

"Hallo? Who is that?" Kurt sat up, alert after hearing my voice, but before I could say anything Scott blasted his way through. I could hear Kurt give a yell of surprise. I ran into the tiny cell and dropped to my knees at Kurt's side. He knew I was there, but didn't know it was me so he pulled away in fear. "No, no, please…." he begged desperately.

"Kurt, Kurt! It's me!" I was crying; I put a hand on his shoulder but he struggled. "Calm down, it's me!" He finally calmed down for a moment but was still shaking. I motioned for Logan to come over. He crouched down next to Kurt.

"I'm going to cut you free, okay? Hold still." In seconds Kurt could move his arms and legs freely, and, reaching towards him, I pulled off his blindfold. He blinked against what little light there was in the prison, and then his eyes fell on me. "Erin?"  
"Yes," I laughed through my tears. "We're here to take you home." Kurt crawled towards me and I held him as he cried.

Suddenly I remembered. I had Kurt sit up for a moment. "I have something of yours…. Logan found this at the church the day you were taken, and he gave it to me to hold on to for you." Pulling Kurt's rosary off my wrist I handed it to him and he studied it. "I've not taken it off….. 'cept when I sleep, of course… wouldn't want it to break." I managed a small smile, and Kurt returned it.

"Thank you, _kleines._"

"Ssh," Logan stood up. "Wait a minute…." He listened. "Okay, come on, you guys. We gotta get outa here. Someone's coming."

"Can you stand, honey? Come on, I'll help you." I put an arm around Kurt and helped him to his feet as he quickly stuffed the rosary in his pocket. We were all the way to the bottom of the stairs when we heard shouting coming from our left. I quickly got Kurt to the steps, and he shielded his eyes against the daylight that streamed through the doorway.

Voices came from down the hallway, to our left, but before we could do anything the door in front of us slammed shut. "No--!" I cried, starting forward. "Damn…." The voices were upon us, and we turned to find a man standing there, with two guards on either side of him. I could hear Kurt gasp next to me as he clung to me tighter.

"Papa? Papa, what--" Kurt cut off as a severe cough shook him.

I held tight to him, my heart breaking.

"You're insane," Logan glared at Kurt's father. "What have you done to him? He's your son, for chrissakes."

"He is not my son," Kurt's father said defiantly. "He's a monster."

"No… he's not a monster. And whatever your sick, twisted belief may be, about your son or otherwise…." Scott said. "We're still leaving, and we're taking Kurt with us." With that he blasted through the door and the sunlight streamed through once again.

"No!" Kurt's father turned to the guards next to him. "Call for backup!"

But by that time we had made it halfway across the huge yard, on the way to the jet.

"Stop!" Kurt's father yelled from behind us, and I did.

"What- what are you doing, Erin?" Kurt gaped at me.

"Take him," I turned to Scott, and he did as he was told. I turned and walked back to Kurt's father, who stood there, staring at me in confusion. Rearing back, I slugged him across the face as hard as I could.

"Bastard!" I spat. "You or your men ever so much as come near him or any of my friends again I swear on God Above and everything holy, I will be the one who will take your head off with my bare hands."

With that I turned and stalked back to my friends, rubbing my hurt hand. The slight grin on their faces fell suddenly, and was replaced by a look of horror. "NO--"

A loud crack erupted in the morning air as something struck me in the lower back, sending bolts of excruciating pain through my entire body. Crying out, I crumpled to the ground, and I could hear Kurt scream my name in agony. Scott and Kurt came hurriedly over to me, and I could hear Logan give a yell as he overtook Kurt's father. "You son of a bitch!"

"Erin?" Kurt whimpered, taking me up in his weak arms. "Speak to me, darling, say something!"  
I looked up at him and smiled through the agonizing pain that ripped through me. "Hi…"

Cyclops frowned, running a hand through his hair. "That mother f--"

"I'm okay, Scott, really… I… aah!" I gasped as another bolt of pain tore through me.

"I'm here, Erin, I'm here…. We'll take care of her…" Kurt told Scott, and he looked back down at me. "I'll take care of you," he whispered, his voice shaking.

"Kurt, we have to get you back to the ship," I told him. "You're sick."

"What? What about you, _kleines_?"

That's when we felt a presence next to us, and I looked up to find Logan standing over us. He was breathing hard. "Kurt…. I, uh, I think I killed him."

Kurt nodded. "Can you carry her? I am too weak."

"Sure thing," Logan leaned over and picked me up as Scott helped Kurt to his feet. Looking over I saw the rest of the group coming from Monticello. "Erin?" Rogue cried, but she stopped, giving a yell as she saw the mangled body of Kurt's father lying in the middle of the lawn.

"Marie," I called, holding out my hand.

She came over to me as we quickly walked back to the ship, taking my hand. "Oh, Erin, what happened?"

"It was him, Rogue, it was Kurt's father….. he shot me, but I'm gonna be fine," I smiled at her.

She said nothing for a moment, then smiled. "I see you got Kurt back."

Nodding, I beamed. "I'll definitely be fine now that we've got him back."

Once on the ship and in the air I was visited by Jean, Bobby, Storm and Professor Xavier, who told me that Kurt and I would have to stay in the hospital wing of the school for a while, at least until we were better.


	10. I Owe You One!

It wasn't long before I was healed. The surgery I had to go through was agonizing; they had to pull the bullet from my back and then stitch me up. Luckily the bullet was nowhere near my spine, so I was in no serious danger. It still hurt like Hades, though. For a couple weeks after that I walked with a cane, because my left side, which is where the bullet lodged itself, was still weak from the surgery.

As for Kurt, he didn't seem to be getting any better. He was still so weak and so sick….. it pained me to see him in such a way. He couldn't teleport without putting himself in some serious agony; one time he had tried it when he had wanted to get a book of the shelves. He could barely move as he lay there crying out…. Luckily I had been in the other room and when I ran back in at the sound of his cries I found him on the floor in tears and in pain.

We had been home for almost two weeks at that point, and I had had enough. I started using my powers to help him heal. I only did once every few days, because I knew that if I did it too much at one time it could backfire, seriously hurting one of us. The nurse at school told me that Kurt was doing a lot better than he should have been because of my powers, but I still felt I wasn't doing enough for him. I didn't think I was using the full extent of my powers, and I knew I had to think of something soon or Kurt could die. I had never been so afraid in my entire life.

After about three weeks of being home I was done on my cane and was pretty much healed, other than the occasional, small streak of pain I'd get in my lower part of my back. They started me on painkillers again. One Sunday afternoon I sat on the edge of Kurt's bed, watching over him as he slept. He had been sleeping very frequently lately, because the sickness had taken a lot out of him. I stared out the window and began thinking of my family. I don't know what made me think of them, but suddenly their picture filled my mind and I couldn't ignore it. What were they doing? Were they thinking of me? Did they miss me any?

A strange feeling came over me suddenly, as if I were being watched, and I looked over to find Kurt watching me quietly. I'd been thinking so hard I hadn't even noticed he'd woken up.

"Hi," I smiled quietly.

"_Guten tag, kleines,_" he returned the smile and took my hand.

"How're you feeling, sweetheart? Better?"

Kurt nodded, and didn't say anything for a moment. "What were you thinking about there?"

"Oh," I smiled. "Just… my family. Wondering if they ever thought about me."

"I bet they do," a smile slowly spread over Kurt's face. "Such a wonderful girl, how could they not think about you?"

I blushed, my smile widening. "I…. I think I should go find them."

Kurt nodded at me again, silent for a moment. "Okay. But I want to go with you."  
"No," I shook my head. "You're weak, you--"

"Erin…." Kurt squeezed my hand. "You know what happened with my father. My mother killed herself after she had me. She couldn't deal with the way I looked, and was afraid that if she had any more children- I was her only- that they would look like me."

I felt a pang of disgust, and Kurt continued. "Erin, you are all I have now."

For a moment nothing happened.

"Jean? Can I get a wheelchair in here, please?"

I found Marie out on the basketball court with some of our friends as we left, and she came running over to us. "Wow, Kurt, how are you feeling?"

"A lot better, Marie, thank you."

"Where are you guys going?"

I sighed. "To my parents' place."

"What? You mean you're going all the way to Raleigh, North Carolina?"

"Mm-hmm. I'm flying, and I'm taking Kurt with me."

Rogue gaped at me, unable to say anything.  
"Look, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to ask you a big favor. Stall for us, okay?"  
"Oh, now, look--"

"Just tell them we're going into town or something, okay?"

"Oh, yeah, a girl accompanied by a blue guy with a tail. The town has seen so much of that. No offense, Kurt."

"_Es ist nichts._"

I sighed. "Okay, okay. Do you wanna come with us?"

"Erin, I can't. I've got Shop in an hour."

"Really? This late? And on a Sunday?" I checked my watch.

"Yeah, it's an extra Shop course."

"Alright, alright. Uh….. just….. just stall for us, okay? We gotta go." I started walking again.

"Erin!"

"Marie!"

"ARGH! Fine! But you owe me!"

"I'll buy you lunch!"

I could hear her laughing as we rounded the corner and made it into the woods. After a few moments we came to a stop.

"Okay," I turned to Kurt. "Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Alright." I put an arm around Kurt and helped him stand up. "Now, you're gonna have to stand on your own for a few moments while I hide this thing, okay?" I motioned to the wheelchair. "Can you do it?"

"Of course," Kurt smiled assuredly at me.

I smiled back at him and managed to hide the wheelchair in some bushes before Kurt's legs went weak again. Putting my arm around him, we lifted off into the air and began the trip to Raleigh.


	11. Meet the Parents

We were pretty tired when we got there hours later, but I managed to find the house before the sun went down.

"Mom? Dad? Michael?" No one answered once we were inside, so I slammed the front door behind me. "I guess no one's home. C'mon, honey, I'll help you to the sofa." I put my arm around Kurt and walked with him to the family room.

Kurt collapsed on the sofa when we got to the family room and I went to get a quilt from the upstairs hall closet. I covered him in it once downstairs, and that's when I heard the garage door slam. I bolted into the kitchen to intercept my family before they could reach the family room.

It was my mother. She gasped, dropping the sacks of groceries she had in her arms. Neither of us said anything for what seemed like eternity.

"Erin?"

"Hi, Mom….."

"My God! Where have you been? _Where have you been_?!" Mom was crying.

"Mom, I—I'm fine." I smiled to show her nothing was wrong. "To answer your question, New York."

Mom stopped. "New York?"

I nodded. "I've lived there for two years now and have been going to school there, too. Before that, D.C."

"Why didn't you call us or write to us or come see us?"

"I….. I don't know. I guess I was scared."

"Of what, darling?"

I didn't say anything at first. "I was scared you'd hate me for leaving."  
"Wha…. Erin, we don't hate you for leaving. We hate the fact that you left. Why? Why did you go? You know we saved your note. We've had it in the front desk for years."

"It's a long story."

"Well tell me."  
"Uh… Maybe later. Where's Michael?"

Mom smiled. Going over to the kitchen sink she took a framed picture from the windowsill. "You're in luck. They'll be here in an hour to spend the week with us." I looked down at the picture. There was my brother, sitting with a woman and a little girl of about four.

"I…. I'm an aunt?" I gasped.

Mom nodded, her smile widening. "That picture was taken a week ago. Michael and Suzanne have been married for five years now. Suzie's an ER doctor. Little Erin was born four years ago."

I looked up from the picture and stared at my mother.

"Honey, we….. we didn't ever think you'd be coming back…… When you don't call, don't write……"

"Mom…." As I hugged her I began to remember how much I had missed my family.

"So, gosh, you must be…. Twenty! You're twenty now?"

I nodded.

"Oh, I can't believe it…." Mom beamed. "My little girl, all grown up…."

Down the hall I could hear the front door slam as my blood ran cold. I turned and watched my father come down the hall, flipping through the newspaper. "Maggie, Sam down the street wants to know if he can borrow our car to pick up his kids from school tomorrow--" He stopped dead in his tracks, staring in to the family room. The paper slipped from his hands, and I heard a muffled _"bamf"_ from the family room.

"No, no! Kurt!"

"What in God's name was that?" My father was yelling as I raced in to the room. I looked down at the sofa, and it was empty. Even the quilt was gone. "No…." I groaned. "C'mon, honey! Come back!" As the last couple words came from my mouth all three of us heard a painful moan come from the ceiling as _"bamf"_- Kurt reappeared and fell to the floor with a _thud. _"Kurt!" I cried, running over to him as he lay weak and moaning on the floor. He was clutching the quilt in his hands and I quickly wrapped him in it, taking him up in my arms. Leaning against me, Kurt looked up at me and smiled through his pain. "I suppose I shouldn't have done that?"

I laughed, and Kurt gave another moan as he buried his face in my neck. I looked up to find my mother sitting across from me. She was crying, and my father stood over us, scratching his head.

"Mom…. Dad….. I think I need to talk to you."


	12. Meet the Family

I was incredibly surprised at and totally unprepared for the reaction I got from my parents. They were completely accepting of the fact I was a mutant. They said they had totally been against Senator Kelly's mutant registration idea. My father even told me a story of how, when Michael was nineteen, he dumped his girlfriend because she hated mutants. Suzanne, apparently, was a mutant, able to manipulate water much like my friend Pyro could manipulate fire. I told my parents about him, as well as all my friends and teachers at school. I especially told them about Kurt, who had fallen asleep in my arms. We were sure to lower our voices as not to wake him.

"I think he's beautiful," Mom said quietly, studying his face. "You said he's sick?"

I nodded. "The night of my birthday, he threw me a surprise party, and then the next morning he left the school early to go to that abandoned church I told you about when he was kidnapped." I told them about his father, the testing and our rescue of him and how he had been sick for the past few days.

"I can't lose him….. Kurt means the world to me."

My mother smiled at me. "He's going to be fine, I know it. Oh, Erin, you didn't even tell us about your powers!"

"That's right, I haven't!" I grinned. "Well hang on….. Kurt? Wake up." Kurt opened his eyes and they immediately found me. "Hey, you," I smiled. "C'mon, I'm gonna help you to the sofa. And… let's try to stay there this time, okay?"

Kurt grinned at me and nodded.

"First off, I want you to meet my parents, Maggie and Jim Murphy."

"Nice to meet you," Mom smiled at him. Dad shook his hand.

"_Guten abend_," he nodded to each of them.

"As for an official introduction, Mom, Dad, this is Kurt Wagner—"

"But in the Munich circus I was known as the incredible Nightcrawler."  
I burst out laughing and Kurt smiled sheepishly up at me. "Aww…." I pulled him towards me in a tight hug as Kurt's smile widened into a grin. My parents were laughing too as I helped Kurt to his feet and over to the sofa for a second time. Mom had gone upstairs to finish some laundry, and Dad had gone in the garage to finish cleaning before Michael arrived. Pulling the quilt over Kurt I smiled at him, taking his hand. "Now, no more teleporting, okay?"

"Okay," he smiled back, giving my nose a tap. Behind me I could hear the front door open quietly. I turned around and listened to the voices coming from the front door.

"Sssh, Suze, be quiet…" Michael's familiar voice drifted to my ears as he tried to supress laughter.

"Daddy?"

"Be real quiet, baby, we're gonna surprise Granma and Granpa."

"Okay."

Walking over to the hallway I peered around the corner at them. Michael stopped when he saw me. "Mom?"

I couldn't say anything, but managed to shake my head. My heart was spinning at seeing my brother, whom I loved yet was still childishly mad at for smoking. He switched the lights on.

Silence dripped from the walls as the two of us stared each other down. "Oh, my… oh, my _God!_ Erin? Erin, is that you?" Michael's eyes welled up with tears as his little girl, my niece, tugged at his arm.

"I'm right here, Daddy."

Michael knelt down to her level, laughing. "No, honey, look…." he pointed at me. "You remember me telling me about your aunt you were named after?"

Little Erin nodded.

Michael took in a shaking breath. "That's her."

"Michael….." I started towards him, and he jumped up and hugged me.

"God, Erin, don't you ever do that to me again…." He gave a sob before pulling me away. "Look at you, you're… you're all grown up…" Michael sniffed, giving a laugh. "My baby sister…"

I grinned. "I'm okay, Michael, I'm okay."

"Where have you been?"

"With friends, don't worry…. With friends." I paused. "Michael, I have some news for you." I turned to his wife. "You're Suzanne?"

There were tears in her eyes as she nodded. "Hi, I'm Erin, I'm your daughter's namesake." We shook hands, and she laughed. "Hi, Erin, it's nice to meet you."

"You, too. My mom and Dad tell me you're a mutant?"

"Uh…. Well, erm….. yes. Why?"

"Well…" I grinned, looking back at Michael. "I am, too." Next to me, Suzanne's face lit up.

"What, you— is that why you left, honey?"

I nodded.

"Oh, my God…" Mike pulled me back into a hug and cried again.

"Mike, Mike….. it's okay…." I smiled. "C'mere, I'll show you…." Taking his hand, I pulled him into the family room, but when little Erin gave a cry and ran behind her mother, I stopped.

"Hey!" I pointed at the couch, where Kurt still lay, staring at us. I grinned at him. "Don't you move."

Kurt smiled back at me and shook his head.

"They're not gonna hurt you."

"I know."

"Mommy…."

I turned to my niece. "Erin?" She turned to look at me. "C'mere, honey." She slowly walked over to me and took my outstretched hands.

"You're my daddy's sister. He gave me your name. You're my aunt."

"That's right, very good!" I laughed. "Erin, I'd like you to meet a very dear friend of mine. Now, he's not going to hurt you, okay?" She nodded as I picked her up and continued, walking over to the couch. "Erin, this is my friend Kurt. Kurt, angel, I'd like you to meet the rest of my family. This is my niece Erin, my brother Michael and my sister-in-law, Suzanne."

"_Guten abend,_" Kurt smiled, then turned to my niece. "You know, little Erin, I used to be in the circus."

My little niece's whole face lit up.

"It's the truth. I'm from Germany, and that's where I was in the circus."

"Were there elephants?"

"Yes, many elephants. Tigers, too."

"Tigers?" Erin cried.

"Oh, yes, the biggest tigers you could ever imagine. But they were very sweet."

"You and the tigers were friends?"

Kurt nodded. "I helped take care of them."

Erin squirmed around in my arms to face her mother. "Mommy, Kurt was friends with tigers and elephants!"

All four of us laughed. "Yes they were, little beetle," Suzie smiled, giving little Erin's nose a tap.

When my parents came down and greeted the other half of my family, my mother, Michael, Suzie and I went into the kitchen to talk to Mom as she started preparing a salad for dinner. Suddenly, mid-sentence, she gave a cry, holding her hand.

"You okay, Mom?" Mike stepped forward.

"Oh, I just cut my hand…." It looked pretty bad, but I grinned. "Erin, darling, would you go up and get--" My mother looked up at me, noticing my smile. "What? Erin, what is that? What's so funny? I cut my hand!"

"Well see, that is just the thing…." Kurt's weak voice reached us from the family room. "She can heal others. That's one of her powers."

I went red. "Thank you, oh darling one," I smiled.

"_Bitte schön, kleines_;" I could almost hear the grin in his voice as Suzanne laughed.

"Is that true?" Mom gaped at me, still clutching her hand, which I took from her.

"Hold your hand out in front of you, cut up." In the other room I could hear Dad tell Kurt he'd be right back, and he and Little Erin came in the room and Dad lifted her up onto his shoulders so she could see.

Mom did as she was told, and I held my hands out over her injured one. The bright light came, and in an instant the cut was gone. All that was left was a bit of blood, which Mom continued to gape at before washing it off. She held it out for all to see, and my family clapped.

"Well done, Erin!" My dad grinned.

"Thanks," I said. "Well, I'm gonna go sit with Kurt a while; it seems he's been deserted!"

"I am just fine, Erin, I promise," Kurt laughed from his spot on the sofa.  
"Well, I just wanted to come see you! Keep you company, you know?"

Soon my father and my niece joined us. "Now wait a minute," Dad said to me, taking a seat in his favorite char. I couldn't believe he still had the thing after all those years. "Kurt, you said it was _one_ of her powers."

Kurt nodded.

"Ah, so you have more than one, Erin?"

"Yes, yes, I do, I do….."

"Well?"

"Argh!" I couldn't help a smile. "Fine. Anyone wanna see somethin' else?"

"Oo, yeah, sure!" A chorus of voices came from the kitchen as the rest of the family came in.  
"Okay. My second power- of three, mind you- I don't want to do the third in here or else I'm afraid I'd break something--"

Kurt snickered, and without a hitch I whacked him. "Ow!"

I continued with a smile. "Anyway, as for my second power…." I turned to Michael. "Mike, this is the power I first got. Do you remember when I was thirteen and you saw me do this, with… the….." I motioned. "You know…?"

Mike nodded, smiling. "Yes, the cigarette, I know."

"Okay. I didn't know if…. You know… you guys had resolved that or anything….." Mom chuckled. "Okay! Anyway. Yeah. This is why I left in the first place.

"Dad, pick up that book, will ya?"

"Uh, yeah, sure thing." He picked up the dictionary off the coffee table. "What now?"

"Just hold it out in front of you. Yeah, like that. Perfect! Okay, now hold still."

No one breathed as I lifted the dictionary from my father's hands and into the air. Spinning it around a bit, I opened it up and made it fly through pages. Finally, I had it slam shut mid-air, and fall to the floor at my brother's feet.

"Wow." No one moved for a moment as Mike gaped at the book, studying it for a moment. "That was a hell of a thing."

"Alright, and as for the third and final one?" Mom asked. "What was that about breaking something?"

At that Kurt gave a full on laugh, and I whacked him even harder. "Well, if this guy would _shut up_ for a minute," I laughed, trying to poke him. He grabbed my hands in laughter, preventing me from doing any more 'damage,' and I slowly turned to my family. "I… I can fly."

"Fly?!" Little Erin jumped up from her seat. "You mean like Peter Pan?"

"Yes, just like Peter Pan!"

Little Erin gave a squeal of delight. "Oh, Mommy, Mommy, please, can I go flying with Aunt Erin, please?"

"It's too late, honey, too dark…." Suzie was still laughing from her daughter's excitement.

"Tomorrow, then! Aunt Erin, will you take me flying tomorrow?"

"Ah--" I smiled, motioning at Suzie. "That's really up to your momma, honey."

She whirled back to Suzie and gave her one of those innocent looks that kids do when they really, really want that candy bar at the super market.

"I… well…." Suzie looked up at me. "She's sixty pounds. Do you think you can handle her?"

"Hey, I helped this goof, flew with him all the way from New York City with him just today."

"Well, I guess that settles that, now doesn't it?" Suzie laughed. "Oh, but are you staying the night?"

I turned to Kurt. "I think at this point we'd better. Kurt's, ah…. Kurt's a little sick, and I don't wanna have to put him through it again so soon."

"Oh," Suzie frowned at him. "I hope you get better."

"_Danke schon_."

"_Es ist nichts, freund._ It's nothing, friend."

Kurt gaped at her. "_Sie sprechen Deutsches?_ You speak German?"

"_Nur wenig. Ich erlernte einiges in der Schule._ Only a little. I learned some in school."

"Wow, hey, Suzie, you're speakin' German! Cool."

She smiled. "I just told him I picked some up in school."

I looked at Kurt, who just shrugged and smiled. "That is what she said."

Laughing, I remembered something. "Oh, how could I be so stupid? Hey, I can't risk having someone see me tomorrow morning. I think I should take Erin for a spin tonight."

"_YAY!_"

"Oh boy…" Suzie sighed. "Well, alright, it sounds fine to me."

Mike nodded. "Yeah, sounds good. Just don't go too far, now, okay?"

"You got it, man, I hear ya. But first," I turned back to Kurt, lightly tapping his nose. "I have to call Jean!"

"Tell Marie she's off the hook, but I'll still buy her lunch."

Jean laughed. "Uh, okay, I'll do that." She paused. "Honey, I'm glad you're gettin' to see your family, but you should have told us!"

"I know, I know…. it's just that Kurt really wanted to come with me, and I was sure to use some of my powers on him to help him, too, so…"  
"Okay, well, good. When will you be back?"

"Uh… tomorrow night, I'm thinking. I'm gonna fly back with him tomorrow night. I think it's the safest way."

Jean sighed. "Okay. Just be careful, alright?"

"You bet. Oh- oh, hang on…" I laughed. "My niece is trying to talk to me. What's up, hon?"

"Are you ready?"

"Almost, almost!" I laughed. "Go wait out in the other room and get your shoes on. I'm almost done here."

"Okay." Erin ran back into the other room as I turned back to the phone.

"You're an aunt?"

"Yeah, I know, I can't believe it, either!"

"That's great, Erin, that's wonderful. What's her name? How old is she?"

I laughed. "Erin. She's four."

Jean took in a breath. "Oh, she's got your name! How sweet. Your older brother's girl, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Well I'd better let you go. Have fun."

"I will, thanks. Say hello to everyone at home for me."

"No problem."

When it was time for bed I insisted upon having Kurt sleep in my old room, since Mike, Suzie and Erin had the guestroom, so I took a sleeping bag and a pillow in my room and slept on the floor in my room. I wanted to stay with Kurt in case he needed anything.

The next morning I brought Kurt some breakfast, as he was still so weak. It took all his strength just to get up the stairs the night before. "_Gutenmorgen, Prinzessin!_" he cried with a grin when I came in, making me laugh. At least he was in good spirits. After I ate, Suzie let me borrow some of her clothes and Mom got Kurt and me extra toothbrushes. Turns out, my family had planned on going to do stuff that day.

I got dressed once back upstairs and then went to talk to Kurt about my family going out. "Listen, I'm just going to go by my old school. That is, unless you want me to stay here with you." I gave his hand a squeeze.

"No, no…." Kurt shook his head and smiled. "You go. Do not worry about me, I'll be fine. I'm still so tired…"

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely."  
"Okay." I smiled, rising to my feet. "I'll be back soon, honey."

"_Bis später, schönes Mädchen_."

I turned my head at him, and, smiling, he shook his head, pretending to be annoyed at my lack of German-speaking skills.  
"It means 'See you later, beautiful girl.'"


	13. Bring Me to Life

We took two cars since there was six of us; I rode with Mike and Suzie. After half a day of visiting my old school, going to lunch, buying stuff at the bookstore and worrying about Kurt, I got a pang in my gut. We were driving from the bookstore to the drugstore to get some stuff when I looked over at my brother.  
"Mike, I need to go home."  
"Huh? What's wrong?"

"I need to go check on Kurt."

"I bet he's fine, honey."

"No, please, you don't understand. Last time I got a bad feeling, it came in the form of a nightmare and when I woke up the next morning he had been kidnapped. Please, take me home. I swear, I'll drive you to the store myself afterwards, just take me home."

Mike sighed, pulling out his cell phone. "Alright. I'll call Mom and tell her where we're going." He made the call, and when we got back to the house, I found the front door wide open.

"Oh, my God…." Suzie's hand went to her mouth. "Mike, you locked the door, didn't you?"

My brother said nothing, but all the color drained from his face. He looked as if he was going to be sick.

"Kurt!" I cried, running for the house. The downstairs was trashed and silent… but was it? I listened. From upstairs I heard someone crying softly.

"Oh dear Lord, no!" I leapt up the stairs two at a time as Mike and Suzie ran inside. Kurt wasn't in my room. "Kurt? Kurt, answer me!"

"Erin…" I could hear him sob my name from just down the hall, in the computer room. Bolting past my brother and my sister-in-law I ran into the room to find him crumpled in the corner, shaking and crying.

"Oh, baby…" My voice caught in my throat, and I went over to him, taking him in my arms.

"I think I'm dying, I feel horrible…. oh, please help me… I don't want to die….."

"You're not going to die, sweetheart, sshhh…" I kissed him, then turned back to Mike and Suzie. "Mike, help me take him to my room."

We got him into bed, and I looked him over. If I thought he was sick before, it was nothing compared to how it was as I watched him shudder under the blankets. He was running a incredibly high fever, he had a cough worse than the one before and I was guessing he'd lost at least thirty pounds. Someone had beaten the crap out of him as well; he had a black eye and he had a cut down his lip that was bleeding badly.

"I'm calling Mom," Mike turned and quickly left.

Suzie was crying softly as I turned to her. "Oh, Suze…" I hugged her.

"What happened to him? Before, I mean?"

As I responded I went into the bathroom to get a washcloth to clean the blood from his face. "It's a long story, but-" Coming back, I dropped my voice, taking Kurt in my arms. "But basically, he was kidnapped on the night of my birthday and a week went by without us knowing anything……" While I told Suze the story, I gently wiped away the blood that had started to come from Kurt's wounds. "I had gotten shot," I told her when I was finished. "But I'm fine now…. See, look." Standing up, I lifted up the back of my shirt to expose the small scar I got from the gunshot wound in my back.

"Oh… jeez…. Who did that?"

"His dad," I nodded towards Kurt.

Her face twisted in grief. "What kind off person could…."

"No human or mutant I know of," I shook my head.

"Huh," she scoffed. "You said it."

"Okay, I called them," Mike breezed back into the room. "They're on their way home now." He paused, dropping his voice as he watched Kurt sleep. "How is he?"

"Oh, God, I dunno, Mike…." Suzie shook her head. "I'd say, take him to a hospital, but…."

"Can you do anything for him, Suze?"

"I say just keep him in bed for now, give him plenty of water…. And just hope for the best."

I nodded

"Listen, um, Erin…." Suzie put a hand on my arm. "I hate to have to do this, but the acids in my stomach are beginning to corrode away all my inner organs. Don't ask me why; I ate two hours ago, but I'm gonna have to raid the fridge. Are you going to be alright?"

I laughed. "Yeah, Suze, I'll be fine." I gave her a hug. "You go on. Both of you. Mike, go wait for Mom and Dad and Little Erin. I'll be alright."

"You sure?"

"Totally."

"You want anything to eat?" Suzie asked from the doorway.

"No, I'm good."

"Okay."

"Bye." Mike leaned over and kissed me.

"Bye."

When Mom, Dad and Erin got home ten minutes later they all came up to pay us a visit, but then left again, as to give us some time alone. Come five o'clock, I couldn't take it any longer. I had read half a novel, played God knows how many games of Solitaire (losing most of them, of course) and practically worn away a spot on the wood floor from my pacing. I had acted on Kurt's every command- water, food, another blanket, whatever made him feel better- and now I just wanted him to be the healthy, happy Kurt I used to know. I wasn't about to sit around to watch my best friend's life painfully ebb away.

Kurt was sleeping peacefully, lying on his back, and I crawled in bed with him, sitting over him on my knees.

"_Kleines_?" His eyes opened slowly, and voice was weak as he spoke my nickname.

I didn't say anything. I knew this was it. If I didn't use as much of my power as I could, and right then, I figured I wouldn't get another chance.

"No, Erin, you'll kill yourself…."

"Stay still, love…."

The bright, white light filled the room, brighter than it had ever been before, in all the times I had used it.

"Erin! No!"

Then something strange happened. I could feel my energy draining. Finally letting go, I collapsed onto the bed, coughing severely.

"Erin? Erin! Oh, God!"

I tried breathing but it was too difficult. It felt as if the air had been sucked out of me, and knives were sticking at my lungs every time I inhaled. Looking up I saw Kurt sitting over me, and I was in his arms. He was crying. "Why, Erin? Why?" He looked up at the door. "_Fräu Murphy, helfen uns bitte!_ Mrs. Murphy, please help us!"

Moments later Suzie burst through the door. "No," she called behind her. "Stay there.

"_Was geschah_? What happened?"

"_Ich wachte gerade auf und sie saß über mir! Sie verwendete sie Energien, mich zu heilen, aber er ließ sie ihrer ganzer Energie ab._ I just woke up and she was sitting over me! She used her powers to heal me, but it drained her of all her energy." He then spoke in English. "Please, Suzanne, she can't breathe--"

Gasping for breath, I looked into Kurt's eyes and smiled. "Why… are you crying…. _kleines_?"

"Oh, angel…" Kurt beamed, tears continuing to flood his eyes as he pulled me into a hug, kissing my forehead. He nodded at Suzie as I lay curled up and weak in his arms. "She needs help. The doctors at our school are some of the best in the country. Will you come with us, and help her?" He turned to look at me. "I'll call Professor Xavier. Maybe he can come get us."  
"How?" I asked weakly. By that time I had started to breathe a little easier, but I was still having some difficulty.

"The jet."

"Kurt… no, it's too dangerous…."

"So is doing nothing, darling!"

I gave a shaky sigh. "Fine. Call Jean."

"Suzanne, ah…" Kurt sniffed. "This is going to sound strange, but is there anywhere you know of around here that a large jet can land?"

"Uh…. Yeah. The local sandlot. All the neighborhood kids play there, I heard; Mike played there as a kid, but people might be there now."

"Storm can help with that." Kurt smiled down at me. "You always liked the rain, didn't you?"

Smiling, I nodded, and Kurt gave me another kiss. I turned to Suzie. "Could you get the phone?"

"Sure thing, girl." Suzie leapt up and made it back in seconds flat.

"Do you know the number?" I asked Kurt and Suzie handed him the phone. He nodded.

"They're like pirhanas down there," Suzie said breathlessly. "I'm going down to tell them what's up."  
I nodded.

"Scott? Scott, I need to speak to Professor Xavier right away…….. I'll explain later, I just need the professor. _Danke schöen_."

My breathing slowed a bit and I could hear myself wheezing as he waited for the professor, but Kurt kept whispering words of encouragement in my ear. "It's going to be alright, darling… everything is going to be fine….. stay with me, alright? I'm here….."  
I couldn't say much, so I nodded as Kurt stroked my hair.

"Professor Xavier! Hallo. Yes, I have a big favor to ask of you. Erin Murphy is deathly ill. She used her powers to heal me and has somehow obtained my illness. She needs to come home right away……… yes, there's a small baseball field on the edge of town….."

Moments later Kurt got off the phone. "Alright…. They're on their way." He smiled down at me.

"Stay with me?" I whispered.

"Of course, darling."

Well, when the professor arrived with Storm two hours later, my entire family boarded the jet to come with us. Professor Xavier was a bit apprehensive about it, but he allowed all five of them to board along with Kurt and me.

My family was given two rooms once back at the school, one for my parents and one for Mike, Suzie and Erin. They immediately took me to the medical wing, and managed to get oxygen back into my system. At least I could breathe again.

Kurt stayed with me all night, sleeping in a chair next to my hospital bed. The next day, when Suzie came to visit me, she said she had never seen any place quite like the one she was in. I was still very sick, coughing everywhere and burning up. But it was a fever no medicine could seem to kill….. the doctors at school were unsure of my survival.


	14. We Are All Made of Stars

I had been back for a week when the worst of it came. Kurt bolted up out of his sleep at the sound of me calling his name and coughing up a storm. "Kurt, it's so cold, I don't know what's happening…. So cold…. Please, don't wake anyone else….."

Leaning over me he took me in his arms. "Ssh, I'm here…. I'm here, darling…."

"Kurt…."

He looked down at me.

"I… I think it's time."

Kurt nodded, but his face twisted in grief. He shook his head. "No."

"Oh, my wonderful Kurt…. the angel I dream of…." I touched his cheek. "Do not be afraid."

He looked up and out the window, then back down at me. "The stars are out, _kleines_. Do you want to go outside?"

Beaming, I nodded. Lifting me up Kurt teleported us to the steps that were outside, just below the window where we first met. I was lying on the steps, wrapped in a huge blanket, when Kurt started crying again.

"Kurt…." I touched his arm. "Please, please don't cry."

Turning, Kurt lay down next to me, taking me in his arms. "I don't want you to go," he said quietly, giving a sniff. But then he propped himself up on an elbow, looking over me. "_Kleines_….. I never got a chance to tell you, did I?"

"What?"

Kurt smiled at me and took me up in his arms and his voice shook as he spoke, tears spilling from his eyes. "Erin, I love you."

I burst into tears, and he pulled me away for a moment. "I love you more than anything else in this entire universe. I dreamt of you every single night while in that prison. I dreamt of you half my life. I waited for you my entire life. I love you so much, Erin, and I want nothing more than to be with you for the rest of our lives."

"Oh, God… I love you, too."

That's when he kissed me, full on! My God, I thought I was going into cardiac arrest. As I kissed him I looked up…. and to my surprise, the stars above us seemed to be…. dancing? They flew outward like sparklers, dancing and twirling and raining down on us.

We broke away for a moment, laughing in glee as we watched the shooting stars fly around us. Kurt looked back at me and beamed. "Erin, will you marry me?"

I barely even realized that the sickness had lifted. "Wha- Yes!" With my answer he kissed me again. Little did I know, but Logan, suffering from another sleepless night, had watched the entire thing from the window.

I stayed in the hospital wing one last night, and the next morning, I got up and got completely ready for classes. At lunch, I went to see if I had gotten any mail. I flipped through the small stack of stuff on my way back to the main hall: a postcard my friend sent me from London, a magazine, a couple letters addressed in my parent's and grandparent's handwriting…. And a last letter, in writing I didn't recognize, from someone I didn't know. Opening up the letter I gave a cry as I noticed _Riverdance _at the top of the page. My heart slammed as I began to read.

_Dear Miss Murphy,_

_We are pleased to announce, after many weeks of searching the country for new dancers, that you have been accepted onto the Riverdance Troupe! We have interviewed your dance teacher in Salem, New York, and watched you practice (our scout sincerely apologizes if he startled you or your friends), and you have made the final cut!_

The letter went on to tell me whom to call upon receiving the letter, but by then I was screaming.

"Erin."

"Hey, Logan, how's it going?"

"Great, great. I'm glad to see you're feeling better. And congrats on getting into Riverdance!"

I smiled. "Thanks."

"Listen, do you remember that conversation we had when we first met?"

I thought a moment. "You mean the one about you?"

"No, about how you had said you didn't have a nickname."

"Oh, yeah, yeah."

"Well," Logan smiled. "I couldn't sleep last night, and I took a little walk down the halls…. Saw two familiar people by the basketball court…"

I put my hands on my hips, a smile spreading across my face as I got ready to complain to him about privacy. Before I could say anything he spoke up, but he spoke quietly.

"And I also saw one hell of a light show with those stars."

"What are you getting at?"

Neither of us spoke for a moment, one in which Logan grinned.

"Firefly."

_Seven months later_

"Erin! We start in fifteen minutes! Are you excited? Your first show and everything!"

"I know, I know! I'm kinda nervous."

"Don't be," my new friend Siân smiled. She, too, was a dancer on the Riverdance troupe, and she seated herself next to me in front of a makeup mirror. In front of me, I had a picture of my family, and another picture of me and Kurt.

"Oh my, Erin, who is that?" Siân pointed to the picture of me and Kurt. Although she knew I was engaged, she had no idea what my fiance looked like, only that he, like I, was a mutant.

"Huh? Oh, you found Kurt," I grinned, picking up the picture.  
Siân sucked in a breath. "So _that's_ your fiance!"

Nodding, I waited for the shut down, but got a big grin instead. "Firefly, he looks so cool!"

I burst out laughing. "He, ah… he's not like anyone else I've ever met. He's gonna be here tonight, you know…." My voice dropped down to almost a whisper. "The school I go to has reserved the first ten rows for it's students and teachers. My family's gonna be there, and Kurt will be there, too."

Siân beamed. "That's awesome, Firefly…." My friend thought a moment. "You know, how did you get that nickname, anyway?"

I smiled. "Oh…. It's a long story."

_Oh my God. Okay, don't panic. You're going to be fine. You're not going to screw up. How do I look? Is my dress okay? I can't _believe_ they let me wear the one Kurt got me; total irony it looks like the others. Yipes. _

_Okay, here we go. Breathe, Erin, breathe…. That's my cue!_

Dancing up there with those people was the most exhilarating thing ever. If someone had told me when I was a kid that I'd be doing this as an adult I wouldn't have believed it myself. I nearly screwed up fifteen minutes into the show when---

_Yeah, I think I got it- HOLY SHIT. _I managed to make out Colin Dunne and Jean Butler in the first row. Amazingly I didn't screw up, but as I danced front row and near center to the last number I could feel my eyes begin to tear up. I'd arrived.

I was up there, dancing the dance I loved the most for ones I loved most, when it hit me- this was what life was all about. I had been searching for this moment for seven years, and here it was. From the backyard of a house in Raleigh, North Carolina, to the streets of the nation's capitol, all the way to the woods of New York State, and now on the stage of Radio City Music Hall, I had went looking for it and here it was, lighting up my nights like a firefly.


End file.
